Modest warming trend bodes well in Dallas for Union

CHESTER — As the MLS season moseys toward its midway point, the Philadelphia Union sit in a positively perplexing place.

The club has four wins — one against the Eastern Conference leaders, two against the third-place team in the East and one against the team that will likely finish in the Western Conference basement. Three of those four wins have come away from the less-than-homey confines of PPL Park.

So a trip to the Lone Star State to take on FC Dallas Friday has what in store? With the predictive value of the Union’s past approximately nil, that question is open to interpretation.

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What is for sure, though, is that the Union (4-7-6, 18 points) are on a bit of a hot streak, at least by their modest 2014 standards. They’ve gotten results in three consecutive league games and are unbeaten in five in all competitions, the latest entry in which was a 3-1 win at New England last week. That puts them in seventh place in the East, a point out of the fifth and final playoff spot and back in the thick of the playoff chase in an Eastern Conference where mediocrity reigns.

Equally evident of late is that fact that the Union, for their myriad shortcomings, is at least competent on the road. They have a 3-5-2 record away from home in a schedule front-loaded with road games. Those 11 points picked up on the road is second in the conference only to the 12 of Sporting Kansas City, the East leaders for whom the Union represent the only home defeat of the campaign.

The club has some theories as to why that proficiency exists. But as with anything else in this helter-skelter season, it’s an unsure understanding.

“It’s mentality. I think any time you go on the road, it’s going to be a little different,” interim coach Jim Curtin said. “Sometimes, I think it depends on the players, but some players react a little different on the road because — and it’s going to sound bad — but you’re away from your family, you’re getting a little more sleep for the ones that have kids. There are different variables that actually come into it that maybe are outside the box. They’ve shown a collective effort on the road and a confidence that we can not only win on the road but score goals. There’s some positives that go into going on the road, and we’ve kind of embraced it.”

Part of the Union’s road success is the premium placed on pragmatism. At home, there is pressure to perform up to certain standards of entertaining soccer. Liberated from those expectations, the Union have no qualms about winning ugly and doing whatever it takes to escape inhospitable venues with a result.

Saturday’s display — a hard-nosed defensive effort buffeted by a poached goal from Sebastien Le Toux and two other tallies on the counterattack — epitomized that pursuit.

“I think we are probably better in the moment when we have lots of pressure against us,” Le Toux said. “We don’t try to maybe play and do stupid mistakes that maybe cost us goals like during the first half of the season. We know that if we need to clear the ball into the stands, and maybe it’s not pretty but it’s what we need at that time, we can do it. That’s probably what we did during the game against (New England).”

The Union will have to marshal those self-preservation instincts in Dallas. They take on a Dallas team that is slowly regaining health after a grueling stretch in May and June. Much of the Dallas (6-7-5, 23 points) backline is fit, including Matt Hedges, while midfield playmaker Michel also took part in last week’s 0-0 draw at Columbus. Dallas had three players suspended for the encounter with the Crew.

Not in the reckoning for Friday is midfielder Fabian Castillo, who was handed a four-match ban by the MLS disciplinary committee for making contact with an official after a draw with Portland before the World Cup break. Castillo, who is tied with Blas Perez and Michel for the team lead with five goals each, is among the biggest threats to opponents.

His lack of speed down the flank helps neutralize one of the bigger threats posed by Dallas in their ability to quickly transition from defense to offense. Dallas is a team that is most comfortable counter attacking, which could clash somewhat with what the Union generally try to do away from home.